Runners corner: How I spent my summer vacation

It’s that time of year when the kids are heading back to school, and many will face their first writing assignment of the school year — “How I spent my summer vacation.”

Tom Licciardello/Wicked Local Sports

It’s that time of year when the kids are heading back to school, and many will face their first writing assignment of the school year — “How I spent my summer vacation.”

So, I thought it would be appropriate to reprise that assignment I was given many, many years ago, and share one of the highlights of my summer as a runner.

My background as a runner has given me the courage to expand my field of competition into a few more exotic events, and this summer I experienced a doozey. My daughter, Amy, found the GORUCK Challenge, and suggested that this Special Forces-inspired event would be right up my alley. Easily influenced, my obstacle racing friends, Chuck and Mark, agreed to join me for the June Challenge in Manchester, N.H.

Amy attained her “GRT” (GORUCK Tough) status on St. Patrick’s Day in Boston, so she was able to give us a preview of what we might expect. Amy is a very tough cookie, so I was surprised to hear her say, “that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I’ll never do another one, and Dad, you should seriously reconsider doing it.” That, of course, sealed the deal for Chuck, Mark and me. We were in.

First, we needed to acquire the mandatory equipment, starting with the GORUCK backpack (ruck) used by Special Forces. Then, we needed to load our rucks with bricks, four for those of us weighing under 150 pounds, or six for bigger guys like Chuck and Mark. Additionally, we needed to pack at least three liters of replacement fluids and any additional nutrition and clothing we might need for our adventure that would last between 8 to 12 hours.

At 9 p.m. on June 28, Cadre Logan, a young man with a long resume, greeted the 19 members of Class 670 at Victory Park in Manchester, N.H.

Logan, our leader who would guide us through the night, began by introducing himself to us. He served a tour of duty in Iraq, and two tours in Afghanistan as a sniper with the Special Forces legendary 101st Unit.

A resident of Cambridge, he is studying at Harvard University, and is running for City Council. It didn’t take long for him to earn our respect, and frankly a bit of fear. It would be his job to mold a group of 19 type-A personalities into a cohesive, well-oiled hardcore team.

First came the two-hour welcoming party, a euphemism for the toughest PT (physical training) I’ve ever endured.

Rule No. 1 was that our rucks were never allowed to touch the ground, and so all through PT we would be toting our brick-filled backpacks. That made doing push-ups a whole lot harder, as did holding our rucks on our front, while doing flutter kicks. How many flutter kicks did we do? Here’s a hint: Cadre Logan served in the 101st.

Chuck, Mark and I have a long running background, so we presumed that the running challenges would be the easy part of our welcoming party. Wrong.

Our first set of running intervals required a team sprint to the far end of Victory Park, and back while carrying 15 jerry cans filled with water (about 50 pounds each). Each succeeding sprint that matched or lowered our first time meant we could eliminate one can. Our team goal was to eliminate all 15 cans.

Our second and third sprints were slower, and we began to panic, presuming fatigue would only make the goal more impossible. Cadre Logan, the ex-sniper, then quietly, but firmly said, “Figure it out.” We’d hear that numerous times that evening as we were faced with seemingly impossible tasks.

We began to think like a team, and created a strategy that employed our strengths more effectively. Each successive sprint hit the goal, and the jerry can count dropped until they were gone. I can attest that this was the hardest run I’ve ever done. It didn’t cover 26.2 miles, it wasn’t an Ultra Marathon, but I haven’t been more spent than at the end of that task. And that was just the start of our night.

After enduring a long evening of physical tasks designed to break the strongest within our class, so that we were all on the same level, we learned our Class 670 assignment.

Each GORUCK Challenge class is assigned a task that will test the limits of its physical and mental capabilities, and its ability to work as a team. Ours didn’t seem so bad; all we had to do is move an eight-foot log about a mile. We had 19 hardcore athletes now working as that well-oiled team Logan had forged.

A previous class deposited the target log on the front lawn of a private residence, and it was Class 670’s responsibility to retrieve and dispose the offending lawn ornament. As 2 a.m. approached and our objective was in a very affluent section of Manchester, we would be operating under a strict code of silence as our unit made its way to the target location.

Simply running with our rucks would have been a challenge, but Logan had more in mind. Simulating combat conditions, we needed to periodically transport casualties. Our casualties were the biggest team members that we “buddy carried,” along with our own rucks, their rucks, the 15 jerry cans, an American flag, Logan’s team flag and our team designed mandatory 25-pound weight, a 30-pack of Budweiser.

When we reached our objective, the full weight of our task became apparent. This was no typical eight-foot log. This was a massive tree trunk with an estimated weight of 1,500 pounds. We silently mouthed to Logan, “There is no way this thing can be moved!”

He said: “Figure it out.”

Over the next 3.5 hours, our team devised a method of employing brute strength and a well thought out plan to accomplish the impossible and successfully disposed of the offending log in the woods that was a mile from its start point.

As dawn approach, our gang of individuals had been tested with running, while carrying rucks, jerry cans and buddies. We endured torturous PT, and moved a tree. We were becoming a team. What more could Logan throw at us? Terrorball!

As the sun rose, our trek led us to a ball field, where we were told we could remove our rucks, and place them along the backstop. Remove our rucks? We knew that couldn’t be a good sign. It was then that we learned the rules of Logan’s favorite sport — Terrorball.

We broke into two teams that would compete in a relay race around the bases going in opposite direction.

First, we prepared the course by emptying five jerry cans of water along the first and third base lines, thereafter known as the “danger zones.” It was there that each team would have an attacker, whose job was to keep the opposing team member for reaching the base. Each team would also post a defender to help protect their runner.

Did I say “runner?” This relay would be tougher.

The first base goal would be a low crawl through the mud, attempting to get past the attacker. The second base goal would be a bear crawl, the third base goal would be a crab walk and the final stretch would be another low crawl through the mud and an attacker.

Since the teams would be going in opposite directions, inevitably we would meet and attempt to stop our rival. Logan’s final instruction, “There are no rules. Go hard, go ugly.”

Did I mention that I’m 64 years old, and that the average age of our crew was 28, and many were combat veterans? My status offered no cover. It was a muddy schoolyard brawl, and as much fun as I’ve had in years.

Our journey back to Victory Park spanned several more hours of physical demands, but our class had been hardened over the previous 9.5 hours of challenges.

When Logan announced that we were done, and had earned our GORUCK Challenge badges, we all knew that we would leave with much more than that patch and the title of being GRT. We learned that the impossible isn’t always impossible, and that thoughtful teamwork is more powerful than just brute strength.

When Logan handed me my GORUCK Tough patch, and shook my hand he announced that I was the oldest person to ever attain GRT status. I was proud of that, but I really didn’t feel old at that moment. And yes, our team weight, the 30-pack of warm Budweiser, tasted great at 6:30 a.m.

I will admit that this event may be one of the craziest things I’ve done, but I am so thankful that I have had the background as an endurance runner that made it possible to consider.

I’ll probably find other unusual ways to take advantage of those years of running, because in the long run sometimes you end up in really unexpected places.

Where will your running take you?

Tom Licciardello is a founding member of the Merrimack Valley Striders. Licciardello has participated in 35 Boston’s and 88 marathons, and 2013 was his first year as a start line coordinator at the Boston Marathon. He has served on the BAA Boston Marathon organizing committee for the last 23 years.